Empty bargains

Eight.

I ignored an intense glare from Blondie, who'd returned earlier, as I walked across the main floor to the staircase leading up. He and Xander were the only ones on the level, so I assumed everyone else had gone upstairs. I lifted myself up the stairs and padded down the hall, my feet cold and without socks or shoes.

All the doors in the hall were closed. My hand found Jason's doorknob and I pushed the door open, revealing an empty room. I was confused until I heard running water inside the bathroom. I sighed, thankful Jason wasn't available to gloat at my initial entry, and closed the door behind me. A sick feeling burned in my stomach, mixing with rising agitation at the entire situation.

I shuffled over to my duffel, a heap next to Jason's bed where I'd thrown it earlier. I sat down cross-legged in front of it and dug for a pair of sweatpants and a loose tee. Standing up, I listened carefully to make sure the shower was still running and the bedroom door was closed before quickly peeling off my jeans and yellow tee to change for the clothes I'd just pulled out. I stuffed my worn clothes back into the duffel and cast it aside. My legs carried me over to Jason's bed and-though I was disgusted that it was Jason's, I was also too tired from being bitter all day to reject the opportunity-flopped over onto the mattress.

Almost immediately I felt more tired than I'd ever been, relaxing into a surface much softer than the cement of the basement floor, and my eyes drooped. I was exhausted from everything that had happened in the past two-and-a-half days here, and already felt the weight of the coming days-banking on the chance Sam and Tyler didn't find a way to get me out.

My chest tightened a little at the thought of Tyler. I missed him. I had never really been away from him for this long in several years, not counting the time Sam had gotten in a long and drawn out fight with Markus and we ended up leaving town for two weeks. It felt like a part of me was missing, and the fact that the room I'd be sleeping in tonight was occupied by Jason only emphasized the gap. I rolled onto my back and pressed my palms to my temples, putting enough pressure on them to make the ache in my chest not seem so severe.

"I thought I'd have to drag you up here myself," Jason's voice came from the doorway of the bathroom, a deep rasp that hinted tiredness. I jumped and sat bolt upright, swinging my legs off the mattress to face him.

I hadn't noticed the stop of the shower or the door opening, and I mentally kicked myself. I shouldn't be caught off guard or miss anything in this house. It could put me in a lot of trouble, or in this case, an uncomfortable situation. My hands tightened into fists as I took in Jason's form in. He was slouched against the doorframe, a dark towel wrapped low around his waist and his formerly swept up hair lying wet against his forehead. His muscled chest was bare and moist with condensation, and he wore a smirk. Had he not been who he was, and I who I am, I might have thought him attractive.

"You like what you see?" he asked, the corners of his mouth tugging higher. He opened his arms.

I scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself," I told him, though I felt a small amount of heat rising in my cheeks. I immediately stopped my wandering eyes and matched them to his gaze. "I was just recalling how easy Sam said it was to beat the shit out of you." I sneered and added, "I agree with him."

Unfazed, Jason strutted toward the bed until he wasn't more than one foot from where my knees were bent out from the mattress. I pulled my legs together, unwilling to even give him the option of furthering himself there. I shot a glare at his amused expression but again he seemed unbothered.

"He said that?" Jason asked, close to laughing.

A pang of annoyance hit me. "Obviously he wasn't lying."

Something flashed across Jason's face. Quicker than I could react, Jason strode two steps and lifted me by my sides, threw me further onto the bed and straddled my waist, and thrust his elbows out to rest by either side of my head. His face hung a mere three inches from mine and his breath hit my cheeks as I let out a strangled cry. I kicked my legs and threw a punch at Jason's stomach, but he was tensed and prepared for it. I winced and threw another, close to the same spot with the same result.